t some of it, but don' be obliged to
eat it all. En ought to have everything clean up nicely so as to keep
clean all de year. Say, must always put de wash out on de line to be
sure de day fore New Years en have all your garments clean."

"What my ideas bout de young folks dese days? Well, dey young folks en
dey ain' young folks, I say. Cose I don' bother up wid dem none, but I
think wid my own weak judgment, dey quite different from when I come
along. Folks is awful funny dis day en time to my notion. Don' care what
people see dem do no time. I sho think dey worser den what dey used to
be. De way I say dey worser, I used to have to be back at such en such a
time, if I went off, but now dey go anytime dey want to en dey comes
back anytime dey want to. I sho think dey worser. De fact of it, I know
dey worser."

Source: Josephine Bacchus, colored, age 75-80, Marion, S. C.
Personal interview by Annie Ruth Davis, Dec., 1937.

Project 1885-1
Folklore
Spartanburg Dist. 4
June 14, 1937
Edited by: Elmer Turnage

STORIES FROM EX-SLAVES

"I was born near Winnsboro, S. C., Fairfield County. I was twelve years
old the year the Confederate war started. My father was John Ballard and
my mother was Sallie Ballard. I had several brothers and sisters. We
belonged to Jim Aiken, a large landowner at Winnsboro. He owned land on
which the town was built. He had seven plantations. He was good to us
and give us plenty to eat, and good quarters to live in. His mistress
was good, too; but one of his sons, Dr. Aiken, whipped some of de
niggers, lots. One time he whipped a slave for stealing. Some of his
land was around four churches in Winnsboro.

"We was allowed three pounds o' meat, one quart o' molasses, grits and
other things each week--plenty for us to eat.

"When freedom come, he told us we was free, and if we wanted to stay on
with him, he would do the best he could for us. Most of us stayed, and
after a few months, he paid wages. After eight months, some went to
other places to work.

"The master's wife died and he married a daughter of Robert Gillam and
moved to Greenville, S. C.

"The master always had a very big garden with plenty of vegetables. He
had fifty hogs, and I helped mind the hogs. He didn't raise much cotton,
but raised lots of wheat and corn. He made his own meal and flour from
the mill on the creek; made home-made clothes with cards and spinning
wheels.

"They cooked in wide